Edmonton Elks sign Darien Newell after one-year doping suspension

Photo: James Paddle-Grant/Queen's Athletics

The Edmonton Elks have signed Canadian defensive lineman Darien Newell following the completion of his one-year suspension for a doping infraction.

The native of Brampton, Ont. tested positive for nine banned substances during the 2025 CFL Combine, including GW501516, Ibutamoren, SARM Ostarine (S-22), SARM LGD-4033, Testosterone, Nandrolone, Drostanolone, Norclostebol, and Oxandrolone. He initially appealed the result but later withdrew it, incurring an anti-doping rule violation and a one-year sanction from the league.

Newell was selected with the tenth overall pick in the 2025 CFL Draft out of Queen’s University. Though the violation wasn’t announced until after the draft, CFL teams were notified about it before draft day. It’s expected that Newell would have been a first-round pick had he not tested positive for banned substances.

The six-foot-three, 287-pound defender played 37 collegiate games at Queen’s University, where he made 92 total tackles, 27.5 tackles for loss, 18 sacks, two pass knockdowns, and one forced fumble. He was a two-time first-team U Sports All-Canadian and one-time second-team U Sports All-Canadian.

Newell attended the University at Buffalo pro day in March 2025, where he recorded a 4.96-second forty-yard dash, 27 reps of 225 pounds on the bench press, a 34-inch vertical, and nine-foot, five-inch broad jump.

The Elks have also signed five players they selected in the 2026 CFL Draft, including receiver Carter Kettyle, linebacker Justin Pace, offensive lineman Chris Pashula, receiver Eloa Latendresse-Regimbald, and offensive lineman Matt Ljuden.

Kettyle, the team’s third-round pick, made 101 catches for 1,695 yards and 17 touchdowns over 22 games at the University of Alberta. The native of Grovedale, Alta. was named a first-team U Sports All-Canadian in 2025.

Pace played 42 games over four seasons at Queen’s University, where he made 232 total tackles, 13 tackles for loss, four sacks, six interceptions, eight passes defended, and three forced fumbles. The Montreal native was a three-time OUA all-star with the Gaels and a first-team U Sports All-Canadian.

Pashula advanced to the CFL Combine from the CFL Invitational Combine, where he recorded 25 reps of 225 pounds on the bench press. The six-foot-four, 314-pound blocker, who was taken in the fifth round, made 19 starts at left guard during his collegiate career at the University of Calgary.

Latendresse-Regimbald was named the Most Outstanding Rookie in U Sports in 2022 as a quarterback at McGill, though he’s expected to change to receiver in the CFL. The six-foot-three, 213-pounder demonstrated his athleticism at the CFL Combine, where he recorded a 4.62-second forty-yard dash, 7.00-second three-cone drill, and ten-foot, eleven-inch broad jump.

Ljuden, the team’s eighth-round pick, was a second-team U Sports All-Canadian with the Golden Bears. He attended the CFL Invitational Combine.

Edmonton also signed undrafted Canadian linebacker Yunus Larry. The native of Hamilton, Ont. played 29 games at the University of Guelph, where he made 106 total tackles, seven tackles for loss, four sacks, one interception, and one forced fumble.

The Edmonton Elks recently selected Rutgers linebacker Dariel Djabome with their first-round pick in the 2026 CFL Draft, adding a key piece to pair with fellow Canadian linebacker Joel Dublanko. The team’s other major offseason additions include receiver Austin Mack, offensive lineman Coulter Woodmansey, and defensive lineman Malik Carney.

All CFL training camps are scheduled to open on May 10. Edmonton will play its first preseason game against the B.C. Lions on Saturday, May 23 and its first regular-season game against the Ottawa Redblacks on Saturday, June 6.

In 2025, Edmonton finished fifth in the West Division standings with a 7-11 record, missing the playoffs for the fifth straight season.